Hapai
by badgerbabe
Summary: Something is obviously upsetting Steve and Danny is determined to get to the bottom of it. McDanno mpreg.
1. The Bomb Drops

They're sitting on the lanai, eating dinner, when, finally, Danny can't take it anymore. Their first night alone after a weekend with Grace always seems quiet, but the silence seems almost unnerving. To top it all off, Steve has just been picking at his dinner, pushing his stir fry around with his fork. Something is very obviously wrong, but Danny doesn't have a clue what he's said or done this time.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asks hesitantly, sounding as if he's afraid to hear the answer. When Steve finally speaks up, Danny thinks he might choke on his rice for a moment and sputters.

"I'm getting old," Steve announces, sounding like the weight of the world is resting on his broad, tattooed shoulders. Danny knows he shouldn't, but he rolls his eyes.

"Did you hit your head at work today and I didn't see it? I mean, for Christ's sake, Steven. You're 34 years old. I'd hardly call that elderly."

This time, it's Steve's turn to look at all the negatives in the situation and Danny's to tell him he's batshit insane.

"I've already done in one shoulder and now I'm working on the other. My knee is on its way out and I need Tylenol just to tolerate a day at home with Grace, let alone on the job. I keep waiting to get called in and told I'm being put out to pasture so they can bring in some young stud."

Danny sighs. "Babe, you're Steve McGarrett, Super SEAL. You'll still be chasing down perps when you're 112. Gracie will probably retire before you do."

Steve just shakes his head. The more Danny looks at him, the more floored he was by all the changes he's missed in his husband. Steve looks exhausted, like he hasn't slept in days. He has definitely lost weight and his eyes ocean blue eyes have lost their sparkle. Danny just shakes his head. Now, he can see that he's not getting the whole story.

"Let's try that again, Babe. What's wrong?" Danny asks. He's starting to think Steve has a death wish for him when he sets his fork down and finally answers. Then he gets why Steve says he's getting old.

"I want a baby."

"Excuse me?" Danny asks. "Steve, are you _sure_ you didn't hit your head today?" he questions once more, actually feeling his husband over for bumps and bruises this time as he crosses to the other side of the table and sits in the chair closest to Steve.

"I didn't hit my head, Danno. I didn't fall or hurt myself or lose it or anything that you're thinking. I want a baby. I'm getting old and I want a baby before it's too late."

Then it dawns on Danny. Steve doesn't mean that he's actually getting old. He knows 34 isn't old. He just feels like his biological clock is ticking. Danny takes a deep breath and scrubs his hands over his face. They have Grace. He always thought that was enough for them. Steve has never given any inclination as to wanting more kids. But Danny doesn't need more than a few seconds to think about it. If that's what Steve wants, that's what Steve's going to get. Danny smiles and draws Steve in for a soft kiss, his thick fingers curling under his husband's chin.

"If you want a baby, then we'll have a baby," he promises Steve. He'll give his husband this baby, no matter what it takes.


	2. Getting There is Half the Battle

_I'm overwhelmed by the number of views and follows this story has gotten! I'll honestly admit that I'm a little disappointed by the lack of reviews, though. I'm not going to be one of those authors that demands reviews, but they would be greatly appreciated!_

_Before the story goes any further, I'd like to explain how my version of mpreg works. Basically, men are born with a 50/50 chance of being a "carrier", meaning that male pregnancies are not altogether uncommon. These carriers have the full reproductive system of both a male and female, but of course maintain a male physique. Carriers have the same reproductive cycle as biological females and are able to deliver naturally if they so choose. With this being said, if you have a problem with this, then please just stop reading. As the author of the story, it is my decision as to how the mpreg is possible and if it bothers you, then please just click the back button. I'm not forcing you to read my story and would like to be respected as such as an author with my own creative freedom at my disposal._

_With all this out of the way, please continue if you'd like and I hope you enjoy!_

Over the course of the next eight months, they try as hard as they possibly can. Unfortunately for the rest of their team, they try everywhere they possibly can, too. They try on Danny's desk, they try on Steve's desk, and Chin even catches them up against the table once too. They try to make a baby on the beach, they try with Steve bent over the hood of the Camaro, they even try in the bathroom at the bar one night.

Danny knows Steve is getting discouraged. He doesn't want to admit it, but he is a little bit too. He wants to give Steve this baby so badly; wants to see him happy again. They're having fun trying, but he knows Steve is getting worried. It's so hard to watch his husband take test after test and watch them come back negative. Every time Steve wakes up with cramps and a sour attitude that usually leads to a perp finding himself eating concrete, Danny knows that Steve is breaking a little bit more.

As winter finally rounds the corner into spring (not that Danny can tell in this pineapple infested hellhole where the temperature never changes and he's always sticky), Danny starts to pick up on the changes that have taken hold of his husband. He's sleeping a lot more, even having been caught napping at his desk or on the lounge in his office a few times. He turns odd shades of green at odd points in time and he's become an increasingly picky eater.

Danny convinces him to take a test, having to actually beg because Steve's gotten stubborn and stopped getting his hopes up. When the test finally, _finally _comes back positive, Steve gives a sort of war whoop and then promptly bursts into tears. Danny isn't sure whether he wants to get excited and laugh or if he wants to cling to Steve and bawl right along with him. They immediately set up an appointment to go see the doctor and see how far along they are and Steve instantly starts picking out baby names and nursery colors and bedding prints.

Danny is floored. He knew Steve would be excited, but usually when Steve gets like this, it's over the latest issue of Guns & Ammo or some new toy he's been allowed to buy for whatever manhunt their fearless leader is going to take them on. But Steve is excited over a _baby_. He's excited over picking out strollers and stuffed animals and frilly little pink baby bikinis and Danny suddenly realizes that his husband has no desire to have a boy. He doesn't want another football playing, Navy SEAL leading McGarrett in the family. He wants a mini Monkey. He babbles about how they're going to have a little girl just like Grace and Danny is starting to feel like maybe Steve hit his head again. But he can't help but just let this shit eating grin spread across his face because he's never seen Steve this happy in his life and he knows that he did this.

When they see the doctor a week later to confirm, Steve and Danny are in seventh heaven. The doctor orders a sonogram for later that afternoon and the couple decides to make a day of it. They see Kamekona for lunch and Steve drinks what appears to be a gallon of water to prepare for the ultrasound. He's fidgety and nervous by the time they're back at the hospital and he can hardly sit still as the ultrasound technician gets him settled and starts to spread the gel over his taut abs. Nothing can prepare them for what they see next, though. Even though Danny went to every doctor's appointment and ultrasound he could with Rachel when she was pregnant with Grace, he's never seen anything like this. He's not sure if he wants to laugh, cry, or faint and Steve seems to be in the exact same predicament.

On the screen, highlighted by little positional markers, are two tiny little gestational sacs and two tiny little beans. The doctor steps in and confirms what they're seeing; she notes that Steve appears to be between nine and ten weeks along and points out that there's only one placenta.

They're having twins. Identical twins.


	3. Faith and Grace

They're just days into Steve's fifteenth week when Danny realizes he's made the biggest mistake of his life. Only he could be stupid enough to suggest to Steve that his favorite cargo shorts were getting a little tight and question if he wanted to wear them all day at work. It was bad enough when he'd been clueless enough to make comments about Rachel's size when she was pregnant with Grace, but Rachel wasn't a former Navy SEAL with expert training in hand-to-hand combat and a penchant for throwing people in shark cages or dangling them over ledges fifty feet off the ground. Danny knows he's in the dog house and hurriedly backs away to go get ready for work before he gets hurt.

It had been bad enough the week before when Steve had been put on restricted duty at work. The words had been sour in the man's mouth and he was none too pleased by the fact that he was going to be parked at a desk for the next five months. His husband implying that he was gaining weight, maybe even getting _fat_, had just been the icing on the cake and Steve was suddenly finding himself wondering just what he'd been thinking when he'd decided to have a baby. He had nightmares of the twins being taken away the second they were born, social services claiming that he was going to be a terrible mother and likely get killed in the line of duty anyways, and that was more than he could handle. Danny was always there to make everything better, though, even when he couldn't keep his big, fat Jersey mouth shut and wound up stuffing his foot in it instead.

As he changes from his cargoes to a pair of maternity jeans he'd reluctantly bought the week before, though, pulling on an olive green v-neck to go with them, he realizes that maybe Danny has a point. The jeans are infinitely more comfortable than his cargoes had been and he knows that he's just going to have to accept the way his body is going to change throughout the duration of his pregnancy. Of course, it would probably help too if he didn't crave malasadas like they were oxygen and polish off a half dozen over the course of any given day. He tries to eat healthy for his own benefit and that of the babies, but there's just something about malasadas that call to him like some sort of deep fried siren song.

Finding a bag of them waiting on his desk when he and Danny get to work makes him instantly forgive Danny for his comments that morning. He knows his husband called in the order and got Kono to pick them up, his own little way of apologizing and trying to placate his pregnant and hormonal husband. Steve is more than willing to forgive Danny after that, especially considering their usual breakfast as of late has consisted of morning meetings at Kamekona's. Steve considers Kamekona to be a brother of sorts, but he can only handle so much insistence that the perfect cure for morning sickness is shrimp breakfast burritos. They were revolting long before he'd gotten pregnant and the almost constant nausea had done nothing but make the dish sound even worse.

Shave ice, on the other hand, has turned into another daily treat. Grace is thrilled beyond belief by this, enjoying her nightly walk down to Kamekona's truck after dinner, and Danny has a feeling he's going to wake up one morning to find nothing more than little piles of sugar where Steve and Grace had been sleeping. It's only a matter of time, he tells himself.

~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~

On the day that Steve hits the eighteen week mark, Danny takes the afternoon off work and picks up Grace an hour early from school. Steve's got another ultrasound and they've promised their little Monkey that she can go with this time. They're all eager to find out if they're having boys or girls and Steve is praying that his little mischief makers will behave for once and cooperate with them for the big reveal.

The ultrasound room is warm and dark and Steve has a feeling he would fall asleep almost instantly if he weren't so excited as he settles onto the propped-up table. He rolls down the band of his jeans and scoots his shirt up to the top of his belly, the three of them all marveling and how big he's gotten already. The technician spreads the gel over his belly and starts to move the paddle, Steve silently reminding himself that his bladder is not actually about to rupture and that it's all going to be worth it when they get to see their babies in a few moments.

When he sees his babies, every defense he's built up comes crashing down. Tears well up in his eyes and he squeezes Danny's hand as he watches the two tiny babies that are growing within him. He doesn't even have an urge to slap his husband when he comments that they look a lot more human and less like little aliens than the last time they saw them and Danny counts his blessings at that point. He really needs to learn to start watching his mouth.

The ultrasound technician freezes the screen and confirms with Steve and Danny that they want to know what they're having. The tears in his eyes spill over onto his cheeks and Grace let's out an excited, shrieking little giggle as the woman announces that they'll be having two beautiful little girls. She adjusts the volume on the machine to let them hear the babies' heartbeats and the three of them are in awe. When the technician breaks their silence to ask if they have names picked out, Steve looks to Danny and receives a tiny nod of affirmation.

"The little one is Leilani Faith and her sister is Kailani Grace after their big sister," Steve smiled, knowing it was a surprise to Grace. His step-daughter leaned down to hug him and he kissed her forehead, stroking back her hair gently. "Is that okay with you?" he asked her, laughing quietly when she beamed and nodded. Steve had been the one to suggest the names and even though Danny still insisted that he hated Hawaii, he hadn't been able to say no. The girls' names encompassed his entire life on the island where he'd met Steve and even he had to admit that they were beautiful names.

Besides, Steve hadn't insisted on naming them Kamekona and Malasada, so he knew he had to let it slide.


	4. Finding Peace

By the end of Grace's first month of summer vacation, they have a new routine set. They drive to work separately, never knowing what might happen, and Steve drives Grace to summer school each morning on his way to the office. Every day when he drops her off, he reminds himself that it's not the miserable remedial summer school he remembers Mary going to. It's the fun summer school, where Grace goes on nature walks, makes friendship bracelets, plays kickball, and learns to cook and bake. He then leaves work at precisely 4:15 (not a minute before, not a minute after, no matter what) and picks her up from her after-school care program Steve insists she go to considering the number of enemies he and Danny have generated on the island. He always calls Danny on the drive to the school in the afternoon, but today is different.

Grace is away at camp. She's been gone for three days, so Danny figures Steve's "pregnancy brain" that causes him to leave his keys in the pantry and his shoes on the beach is acting up again when he gets a phone call at 4:25. Even though he's in the middle of checking in with Max about their latest victim, he's running out the door after twenty seconds on the phone. His brain is screaming '_no no no_' and his heart feels like it's about to explode out of his chest as he jumps into the Camaro and floors it.

Steve isn't on his way to pick up Grace from school. He's on his way to Queen's because he's 24 weeks and 3 days pregnant and he's in _labor_.

Danny comes to a screeching halt outside the emergency doors and throws the valet his keys. He rips the tag out of the man's hand and doesn't even give a thought to the fact that if he opens the glove box he'll find a grenade and if he opens the center console he'll find a Sig P226. All he cares about is getting to the tenth floor and finding his husband.

When the elevator finally opens, Danny races to the receptionist's desk and practically screams at the poor woman sitting there. A nurse takes him to see Steve and Danny grasps his hand tightly. He whispers that it's going to be okay and runs his fingers through Steve's hair, wishing he could do more to comfort Steve as the doctor finishes her examination. She starts Steve on an IV medication after confirming that he's in labor and has him admitted, wanting to keep a close eye on him and ensure that everything possible is being done to make sure those babies stay put.

~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~

Steve stays in the hospital for two days and Danny barely budges from the chair beside his bed. When he's finally sent home, he's placed on strict bed rest and put on a medication to prevent him from going into labor again before he's ready. Grace comes home from camp the same day and the three of them set up shop in the bedroom, Danny catching up on his work from his laptop while Steve and Grace watch movies together.

After the weekend, Grace returns to summer school and Danny reluctantly returns to work. Alone and ordered to do nothing more strenuous than walk to the bathroom or reheat leftovers, Steve finds himself facing a dilemma he's never dealt well with.

Boredom.

He tries watching movies, tries doing word puzzles, and even spends some time putzing around online. He naps here and there and texts Danny incessantly. All the while, a little voice in his head keeps reminding him that this is only day three and he wonders how he's going to handle the next three months. There will be no more days at the office, no more walks to Kamekona's after dinner, and no more shopping marathons with Grace and Danny to pick out things for the babies.

Two weeks after he comes home from the hospital, he wakes up from an afternoon nap and slowly makes his way downstairs. He heads out onto the lanai, intending to continue his resting there while he makes his way through a bowl of pineapple chunks from the fridge, and pauses when he sees Chin and Danny down by the edge of the water. They're putting together some sort of awning while Grace and Kono are body surfing in the gentle waves and it takes him a minute to realize what his husband is doing.

Danny knows how much Steve has missed the ocean. He's not allowed to swim and Danny isn't going to let him sit out in the hot sun. His solution is to provide Steve with a shady little makeshift cabana where he can at least get his toes wet and enjoy the outdoors while still getting his rest and keeping the twins safe. It's reminiscent of the canopy they were married under and tears well up in Steve's eyes.

As he sinks down onto the chaise lounge, Danny spots him and comes hurrying up to the house. When he sees that Steve has abandoned his pineapple and is crying, his mind instantly starts to jump to conclusions. As he starts to fuss and worry over his husband even more than usual, Steve offers him a watery smile and promises him that he's okay. He's overcome with emotions again as he gestures out toward his new little sandy haven and he kisses Danny softly, pressing their foreheads together and thanking him profusely.

Danny just smiles back and reminds Steve that he would do anything for him and for their little family.


	5. I'm Gonna Give All My Secrets Away

_Thank you to everyone who is continuing to follow this! Reviews are always welcome and greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone is into Hawaii Five-0 roleplaying, my Steve muse is desperately seeking his Danno! If you're interested, feel free to PM me :)_

_The title for this chapter is taken from One Republic's "Secrets"._

~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~

Steve is thirty-two weeks and four days along when Danny comes home from work to find him thumbing through an old journal. The cover is faded and the corners of the pages are curled from the almost constant exposure to the Hawaiian humidity. Danny has seen the journal before, but has never asked about it. While he and Steve have been married for over two years, there are still some things that they keep to themselves. He's been curious about the little book, sure, wanted to ask, but he never has. Steve has given the impression that he doesn't particularly want to talk about it. He keeps the journal stored God only knows where and hides it if he's caught with it out, like a teenager with a dirty magazine.

Only this time, it's different. Steve is sitting with his feet propped up, leafing quietly through the pages, and he just looks up and offers his husband a sad little smile as he toes his shoes off and loosens his tie. He beckons the blonde over and Danny comes to settle at his side, kissing Steve's cheek and wrapping an arm around him. Steve tucks in against the man and rests his head on his shoulder, running his fingers over a photograph. It's one of the standard hospital ones they take when a new baby is born, this one appearing to be a little girl wrapped up in a pink blanket. She looks a lot like Steve, Danny notes, wondering idly if it's Mary's baby picture. Before he can even ask, Steve starts to talk.

"When I was sixteen, I went through kind of…a phase, I guess. After my mom died, or pretended she did," he barked out with a bitter laugh, the words sharp and stinging on his tongue, "Mary and I fell apart. Dad buried himself in his work and I guess just figured we were old enough to take care of ourselves as long as he put food in the fridge and clothes on our backs. I started hooking up with another guy on the football team, just trying to blow off some steam and I wound up knocked up," he confesses, letting out a shaky breath. Danny looks stunned, thinking that Steve had been the all-star football player keeping his nose clean to look good on his Annapolis application.

"When I told my dad, he...he lost it. I was so scared and I went to him for help because I didn't know what to do and he turned against me," Steve sniffs, tears starting to drip down his stubble-ridden cheeks. "He let me stay, but every time he looked at me, there was this look of…disgust on his face, like he couldn't stand the sight of me. I knew I couldn't give her the life she deserved, be the mother she needed. I was just a kid and I was scared and I didn't have any support. So I gave her up for adoption," he tells Danny. Steve still hasn't looked up from the book, his tears falling onto the smudged ink indicating that they're not the first the pages have seen.

Danny reaches over and takes Steve's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He can't even imagine the hell Steve has gone through, carrying a child for nine months and then just giving it away. He can't imagine being in Steve's shoes, knowing that his child is out there somewhere, possibly not even knowing that she's adopted or who her birth mother is. He's drawn back out of his thoughts when Steve continues his story, seeming to pull himself together slightly.

"I requested an open adoption. I got to know the family, made sure she was going to go to a good home like a puppy or something," he croaks, another sob running through him as he starts to fall back apart. Danny wraps his pregnant husband tightly in his arms and kisses his head. His hands stroke up and down Steve's broad back and he assures him that it's okay, even though he has a feeling that for Steve, things are far from okay in that moment. Steve just takes slow, deep breaths until he regains his composure.

"She's still on the island," he notes softly. "Her name is Noelani. I haven't seen her since she was born, but I get letters every year around her birthday. She knows she's adopted, but she doesn't know who I am. She's eighteen now and she's got every right to know who her birth mother is. I just haven't had the balls to go find her. I gave her up. I feel like I have no right to be in her life," Steve confesses. Danny gives his hand a gentle squeeze to assure him that he's still listening and Steve offers him a watery, yet appreciative smile.

"I called her parents today. Apparently she's been asking about me for a few years now, wanting to know where she came from. They told her I wasn't ready and I guess she understands, but I think I'm ready to see her," he tells Danny. "With the babies, I know I'm ready this time. I know I can provide for them and give them what they need and be a good mother. I know I made the right decision to give her up for adoption. So we…we're having lunch on Saturday," he tells Danny. "I'm finally going to meet my baby girl."

~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~

Saturday afternoon rolls around and finds Steve and Danny sitting nervously on the terrace of the Plumeria Beach House restaurant at The Kahala Resort. A man and woman approach the table, a teenage girl standing between them. She's got Steve's dark hair and hazel eyes, with a flower tucked into her loose curls. Her fingers nervously smooth down the front of her ruffled sundress and Steve is nearly left breathless. Danny, for possibly the first time in his life, is speechless.

After the obligatory pleasantries with her parents, Steve turns to his daughter. Neither of them says a word as they move in towards a tight embrace, like she had belonged there in his arms for the last eighteen years. They're both crying when they pull back and Steve offers her a soft smile, brushing her hair back behind her ear. Steve looks like the weight of the world has been lifted off his shoulders as he allows Danny to usher him into a chair, Steve gratefully obeying for once as the twins have caused his feet and ankles to swell and his back to ache almost constantly.

As they eat their lunch, they learn that Noelani is about to start her freshman year at the University of Hawai'I at Manoa and wants to become a social worker. She tells them that she wants to help other families through the adoption process and Steve beams with pride. She's an only child and is clearly the apple of her parents' eyes. She's turned out to be a wonderful girl and Steve couldn't be prouder. He knows he made the right decision and any lingering guilt and regret he's harbored over the last eighteen years is washed away with the waves lapping at the edge of the shore.

~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~

When they crawl into bed that night, Danny presses up against Steve's back and kisses the pulse point behind his ear. He wraps an arm around his middle, something that's becoming increasingly difficult as Steve's belly seemingly grows larger with each passing day of his pregnancy, and smiles at the little kicks he feels. He quietly tells Steve that he's proud of him and assures him that this is going to be his chance to make up for so many missed opportunities.

Steve falls asleep with a smile on his face, feeling that his life is finally going to be complete.


	6. Ohana

_Thank you to everyone who stuck with this to the end! I'm not sure yet if I'll write a sequel, but there will likely be at least a few one-shot follow ups. As always, reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated._

* * *

Steve is thirty-six weeks and five days along when he feels a slight cramp running through his belly. He brushes it off as nothing, figuring it's just another Braxton Hicks contraction, but then he feels another less than ten minutes later. He shifts with a wince and Danny is instantly badgering him and trying to figure out what's wrong. No amount of Danny Williams-esque arm flapping with shoo him away, however, and Steve is finally forced to admit that he thinks he might be having contractions.

The way Danny springs into action is almost terrifying and Steve finds himself thinking that maybe the smaller man should have considered the military. The thought is quickly erased from his mind as he feels another twinge of pain though and he can't help the whimper that slips past his lips. Danny is beside him with the bag they've had packed for the last month within seconds and Steve practically jumps out of his skin when he feels the arm on his hand from a man he thought was on another floor of their home.

As they race to the hospital, Steve clutching at the door handle for dear life and insisting that they really don't need to even be at the hospital yet, he decides that he hates the fact that the only thing Danny's learned from him appears to be reckless driving. It's one thing when they're chasing down a perp, but it's another thing entirely when their children are involved. They make it to Queen's in record time and Steve is still insisting that he doesn't need to be at the hospital yet all the way up to the maternity ward. Danny refuses to hear it, though, fussing and worrying over Steve until the doctor takes over fussing over him.

Despite Steve's insistence that he doesn't need to be there, the doctor insists on admitting him. Even though he's convinced he's fine, his doctor insists that Steve is in active labor and then Danny is practically manhandling him into the bed. When Danny asks when the anesthesiologist will be in to start Steve's epidural as the doctor examines Steve, though, he rears up and fixes Danny with the best Aneurysm Face he can muster up.

"I'm _not _having an epidural!" Steve insists, glaring at his husband. "I'm a goddamn Navy SEAL. I've been trained to withstand torture and I've _been _tortured. I don't need drugs."

Danny just pinches the bridge of his nose and breathes out a sigh. "I won't force you into it. Just know that it's an option," he tells Steve, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. Steve offers Danny a grateful smile and then pulls a face when he feels fingers slip into him. He almost pouts like a petulant child when the doctor says he's only four centimeters, but Danny strokes his fingers through Steve's dark hair and assures him that he'll be fine.

~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~

Over the next six hours, their friends and family filter in and out of the room. Chin and Kono pay them a visit and try to distract Steve from his labor pains, though Steve's preferred method of dealing with the contractions seems to be SEAL tactics including meditation and deep breathing and transporting himself to his so-called 'happy place'. Kamekona rubs Steve's belly and tells him those little girls will just pop right out. Steve and Danny both seem highly disturbed by getting childbirth advice from him, but thank him anyways before delegating him to the waiting room thanks to a well-timed intervention by the doctor.

This time, Danny starts to panic when she says that Steve is eight centimeters. His parents' flight is still nine hours out and he desperately wants his mother to be there for the birth like she was for Grace's. The doctor and the twins seem to have their own agenda, though, because she breaks his water and Steve is at ten centimeters less than an hour later. The contractions have hit the point of piggybacking one on top of the other and Steve is barely holding himself together. He thought he knew pain, but this is something entirely new and he's not quite sure how much more of it he can handle. He's suddenly taken up by the overwhelming urge to push and the room is a flurry of activity, the doctor and nurses flying around the room so quickly Danny's head is spinning as they insist that Steve wait to push until they're ready.

It takes four pushes, complete with bone-crushing hand squeezing, for Steve to bring Kailani into the world. He's eerily silent during each one, his feet practically behind his ears, and Danny realizes that all of Steve's yoga has definitely paid off. As soon as she's out the doctor lays her on Steve's stomach and he reaches down to touch her head. Danny cuts the cord and they're given a few seconds with her before she's whisked away to be cleaned up and measured. She howls all the while, having obviously been gifted with an impressive set of lungs, and Danny is completely consumed by awe until Steve lets out a gut-wrenching scream that snaps him back to reality.

Leilani doesn't seem to be quite as willing to cooperate as her sister. She takes another half an hour before she's out and she doesn't start crying right away. Steve is almost instantly panicking, Danny watching as the doctor carefully loosens the cord and pulls it away from her neck and then suctions her airways. Leilani pinks up and starts to cry finally and both parents let out sighs of relief, Steve slumping back against the bed. Danny kisses his forehead and lips and strokes his fingers through Steve's hair, singing his husband's praises and telling him how great he's done. The doctor helps him through the rest of the delivery and cleans and stitches him up where he's torn before he's moved into a new room.

Once Steve is settled and comfortable, a nurse brings the twins in and the new parents take a minute to marvel over their daughters. They're tiny, weighing in at around five pounds each, but the nurse assures them that they're healthy as can be and likely won't need to stay more than a few days. Steve takes them both into his arms and Danny slips out of the room and heads to the waiting room. The news of their births brings cheers of jubilation from their family and friends and Grace launches himself into her father's arms.

"Let's go see your sisters, Monkey," he smiles, kissing her forehead.

"Can Uncle Chin and Auntie Kono?" she asks. Danny laughs and nods.

"Since your Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Mary aren't here yet, they get first dibs," he assures her, the cousins following him back to the room. As soon as they're in the room, Grace's face lights up even brighter and she climbs up onto the chair beside Steve's bed.

"Hey Monkey," Steve murmurs, keeping his voice quiet so as not to wake the twins. He looks exhausted, but is clearly happy to see his ohana. He introduces them all to the girls and Leilani responds by opening her deep blue eyes and nuzzling in toward her mother, one tiny pink hand curling around the edge of her blanket. They all fawn over the girls until Steve starts to nod off before excusing themselves from the room with pictures to share with Kamekona, Max, and Charlie as they continue to wait.

~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~5-0~

When Danny's parents arrive at the hospital early the next morning, they enter the room to find a family at peace. Grace is curled up at one end of the little couch watching Saturday morning cartoons while Danny sits beside her holding Kailani. Steve is sleeping lightly with Leilani asleep in the bassinet next to his bed, her hand wrapped around one of his fingers. It's the family they always dreamed of for their son and it's obvious from the content expression on his face that Danny agrees. Now that the twins have arrived, he has everything he's ever wanted (save for a sane partner) and their ohana is finally complete.


End file.
